FAQ Topics: LEAP in Health IT, 2026

2026 LEAP in Health IT Questions

Questions for Week Ending 7-17-2026
  1. Q: We respectfully request an extension of at least one week beyond the current proposal due date for this opportunity. The additional time will enable us to thoroughly review the requirements and prepare a more comprehensive, competitive, and high-quality response. We appreciate your consideration and look forward to your positive response.
    A: As a matter of fairness, ONC does not provide extensions to the deadline. As noted in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, the deadline for the submission of applications is 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on July 16, 2026. Applications that fail to meet the application deadline will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration.
Questions for Week Ending 7-10-2026
  1. Q: I can read the funding opportunity information, but I am interested in any information that you can share with me that I might be missing. If I read correctly, it looks like there might be three awardees who will be funded somewhere between $500,000-$1 million.
    A: As noted in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, ONC expects to issue one cooperative agreement award per area of interest. Area of Interest 1 will be awarded up to $1 million, and Areas of Interest 2 and 3 will be awarded up to $500,000 each, totaling up to $2 million for the three awards in fiscal year 2026.
Questions for Week Ending 07-03-2026
  1. Q: Re Project Narrative section on page 22, third paragraph: can content in tables be single-spaced?
    A: Tables included in the project narrative can be single-spaced.
  2. Q: Page 30, Merit Review, Understanding of Project Purpose: Content to address bullets 2 and 3 is requested as part of the Proposed Approach and Activities section. The Understanding of Project Purpose is expected to be approximately 2-3 double-spaced pages. How should the applicant address bullet two, the key objectives and goals, and bullet three, project plan and activities, in the Understanding of Project Purpose to achieve a high score in this section?
    A: As a matter of fairness, ONC does not provide guidance on how to prepare applications. Please consider all requirements listed in the Area of Interest and the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) when preparing your application.
  3. Q: Per page 30 Merit Review, the 5 points for project management are allocated to, Proposed Approach and Activities; but the instructions for addressing project management are included in the Applicant Capabilities section on page 23. In which section should the applicant provide their description of their project management approach in order to be scored correctly according to the Merit Review criteria?
    A:  As a matter of fairness, ONC does not provide guidance on how to prepare applications. Please consider all requirements listed in the Area of Interest and the NOFO when preparing your application.
Questions for Week Ending 06-26-2026
  1. Q: Would you be able to clarify what is meant by “small, independent laboratories”? Do you have an example of what you consider a small and independent laboratory? I think in the current laboratory landscape, even labs that may appear to be “small” are part of larger healthcare systems, academic medical centers, or commercial laboratories. I think this clarification is needed to help us move forward because it will help determine the work effort that is needed to extract laboratory data elements from a specific laboratory, etc.?
    A: Please review the goals, background and key objectives listed in the NOFO for Area 3. Applicants are required to identify at least three small, independent laboratories to participate in pilot activities that will improve the adoption and use of standard terminologies and support conformance with LOINC for laboratory test identifiers; SNOMED CT for results, organisms, methods and conditions; and UCUM for units of measurement; and align with applicable USCDI data elements.
  2. Q: Before beginning the submission with our team, I would appreciate your guidance on: Does this prospective agentic workflow appear aligned with Area 1, and do you have any general guidance on how best to frame the proposal?
    A: As a matter of fairness, ONC does not provide guidance to potential applicants or confirmation as to whether or not their proposal is applicable. We strongly encourage potential applicants to carefully review the NOFO to determine whether their project idea fits within the scope of either of the three areas of interest.
  3. Q: Regarding the requirement for integration with multiple health IT platforms, could integration with Maryland’s CRISP health information exchange or Vizient data satisfy the type of cross-platform health data exchange ONC is seeking?
    A: Applicants are encouraged to review the NOFO for guidance on cross-platform health exchange requirements.
  4. Q: Could you clarify how the open-source requirement applies to pre-existing commercial infrastructure? For example, because this effort may involve collaboration with Microsoft, some underlying proprietary software components may not be available for public release.
    A: The intention of these projects is to address well-documented and fast emerging challenges that inhibit the development, use, and/or advancement of well-designed, interoperable health IT. It is expected to further a new generation of health IT development and inform the innovative implementation and refinement of standards, methods, and techniques for overcoming major barriers and challenges as they are identified. Scalability is an important part of furthering a new generation of health IT development and interoperability, with open source software such as FHIR-based APIs is a big part of. Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose the development of technology using open-source approaches (freely available without a license) and share the outcomes of their research in open-source communities. If an applicant does not intent to build off of an open-source platform, they must explain how they intend to make their end products widely available to the public.
  5. Q: Is the prime awardee expected to perform at least 51% of the workshare?
    A: HHS grants policy requires that the grant recipient perform a substantive role in the conduct of the planned project activity and not merely serve as a conduit of funds to another party or parties. If consortium/contractual activities represent a significant portion of the overall project, the applicant shall justify why the applicant organization, rather than the party(s) performing this portion of the overall project, should be the recipient and what substantive role the applicant organization will play. Reference 2 CFR § 200.332 Requirements for pass-through entities for additional information.
  6. Q: Are nearshoring organizations eligible to assist in development with consortium applicants?
    A: Applicants are encouraged to review the NOFO for eligibility requirements. This is a competitive funding opportunity open to public or non-profit private institutions, such as a university, college, or a faith-based or community-based organization; units of local or state government, eligible agencies of the federal government, Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (federally recognized, other than federally recognized, and tribally designated organizations). For-profit organizations may participate in projects as members of a consortia or as a sub-recipient only. Because the purpose of this NOFO is to improve health care in the United States, foreign institutions may participate in projects as members of a consortia or as a sub-recipient only. Applications submitted by for-profit organizations or foreign institutions will not be reviewed. Organizations described in section 501(c)4 of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities are not eligible.
  7. Q: Will cost share be required? The NOFO instructions are unclear.
    A: There are no cost sharing or matching requirements under this funding opportunity.
  8. Q: We have a researcher at Ohio State University interested in applying for the below opportunity, and I they are wondering if more information is available. Is this open to a competitive bid? The PDF listed references a due date in 2018. Is there a more updated RFA? Thank you!
    A: The 2018 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is not valid. Please review the updated 2026 NOFO. This is a competitive funding opportunity open to public or non-profit private institutions, such as a university, college, or a faith-based or community-based organization; units of local or state government, eligible agencies of the federal government, Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (federally recognized, other than federally recognized, and tribally designated organizations). For-profit organizations may participate in projects as members of a consortia or as a sub-recipient only. Because the purpose of this NOFO is to improve health care in the United States, foreign institutions may participate in projects as members of a consortia or as a sub-recipient only. Applications submitted by for-profit organizations or foreign institutions will not be reviewed. Organizations described in section 501(c)4 of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities are not eligible.
  9. Q: Page 25, Required Appendices. What items are included in the 30-page limit? You have requested a timeline, organizational chart, and resumes. Are these items included in the 30-page limit for Appendices?
    A: The timeline, organizational chart, and resumes do not count toward the 30-page limit. Only material not specifically requested such as key papers, reports, or excerpts count toward the 30-page limit. Additional required appendix material includes:

    • Form SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance
    • Form SF-424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs
    • Form SF-424B, Assurances for Non-Construction Programs
    • Form SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities
    • Budget Narrative Justification
    • Letters of Commitment Proof of Non-Profit Status (if, applicable)
    • Indirect Cost Agreement(s) – including recipient, sub-recipient, and contractors’ agreements (if applicable)
  10. Q: Page 30, Merit Review, Understanding of Project Purpose: Content to address bullets 2 and 3 is requested as part of the Proposed Approach and Activities section. The Understanding of Project Purpose is expected to be approximately 2-3 double-spaced pages. How should the applicant address bullet two, the key objectives and goals, and bullet three, project plan and activities, in the Understanding of Project Purpose to achieve a high score in this section?
    A: As stated on page 22 of the NOFO, the Understanding of Project Purpose section should explain the applicant’s conceptualization of the selected Area of Interest. If an applicant includes the items listed in the section description on page 22 and the merit review description for the section on page 30, the applicant should score high points. Alternatively, the Proposed Approach and Activities section should provide a description of the planned work in significant detail, to match the higher number of pages and points assigned to this section. Additionally, the number of pages listed for each section is a suggestion and not a requirement.